


The Avengers/Division AU

by ishtarcrab



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Tom Clancy's The Division
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, Pandemics
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-02
Updated: 2021-01-06
Packaged: 2021-03-03 23:39:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,782
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24513997
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ishtarcrab/pseuds/ishtarcrab
Summary: A crossover between the MCU (Marvel Cinematic Universe) and Tom Clancy's The Division (released in 2016). In regards to MCU continuity, this story takes place right before Civil War, and also considers everything before that point to be canon (including Defenders).This is a collection of short stories about The Avengers and their roles during the events of The Division, and how they function during a pandemic situation. For a quick introduction of the story of The Division, here's a link to the game's opening cutscene:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8lSNNyHzmc4
Kudos: 4





	1. Chapter 1

**QUEENS, NEW YORK, NINETEEN DAYS AFTER QUARANTINE.**

_"According to recent reports, Tony Stark is the latest in a long list of infected persons to be placed in critical condition. While he is still alive and housed safely within Avengers Tower, we have been informed that the Catastrophic Emergency Response Agency is pulling out of New York,”_

May Parker kept on angrily washing the dishes, dreading the upcoming twelve hour shift at F.E.A.S.T. _With CERA gone,_ she thought, _there’s gonna be more people out there who need us. We may be low on everything, but we still gotta do our jobs._

 _At least the anti-quarantine protesters are gone,_ she reassured herself. _It only took, what? A few thousand more dead?_

_“...leaving Stark and other important Avengers Tower personnel trapped in Central Manhattan, in what the Joint Task Force and New York natives are referring to as the Dark Zone. Anyone living in Central Manhattan is advised to stay inside their homes as long as they can. While there is limited coverage inside the Dark Zone, our inside sources tell us that there is a sharp increase in criminal activity in the form of looting, smuggling, and organized crime in and out of the island.”_

_Huh. Maybe I shouldn't have moved us out of Forest Hills… God knows we needed the money to put Peter through Midtown High though. I hope he isn’t worried about all—_

A glass slipped and shattered on the granite counter, slitting May’s palm. _Dammit._

“May?” Peter yelled from his room. “You alright?”

“I’m fine Peter! Just a scratch, hon…”

_“If you live in Manhattan or any of the other neighboring boroughs, we are once again advising you to wash your hands regularly, stay indoors unless absolutely necessary, and if you do go outside, to stay at least six feet apart from other people to help prevent the spread of infection. This has been Christine Everhart of WHIH News. Stay safe, everyone.”_

Before she could protest, Peter already arrived with a fresh bandaid. 

“It’s okay, Pete, I’ll be fine—“

“Yeah, but you can never be too careful. Besides, you’re always out anyways, so you gotta protect yourself.” He tore it open and quickly placed the bandaid on before more blood could get out.

May chuckled. “You do realize that right now, these things are worth their weight in gold?”

“True, but so are you. You’re an essential worker. I’m just someone who’s gotta do what they can to help. Including the occasional band aid.” Peter got up and grabbed the broom. “I’ll clean this glass up, you take a break, Aunt May.”

“Oh Pete, I can’t, I gotta go out and grab groceries before I leave for F.E.A.S.T.“

“Then I’ll do it.”

May only replied with a raised eyebrow. 

“I will! Besides, it’s not like I’m doing too much, anyways. I’m worried about you.”

Her raised eyebrow turned into an exasperated smile. She cradled Peter’s cheek with her hand. “God, you’re just like Ben. Alright, I’ll give you some money for groceries. But…” she took out her wallet and parsed out some dollar bills. “Swing by Delmar’s only. And be careful. There’s a lot of stuff going on out there and I don’t want you getting hurt. You spot anything happening, you turn and you run the other way. Got it?” 

Peter fiddled with the cuffs of his hoodie, reflexively curling his fingers. “Got it.”

“Alright tiger. Go get ‘em.” 

* * *

Hopping on his bike, Peter went six blocks uptown. The streets were empty of pedestrians, but full of tied up trash bags. Snow blanketed the rooftops, but the sidewalks and roads were still being swept and maintained by sullen sanitation crews, all masked and carrying tanks of saline. When Peter gave them a friendly wave, they looked up and smiled like they hadn’t in weeks, and went back to work. The road was bumpy, and the bike lock Peter hung on the handles jangled with every jump. Three weeks ago, Peter couldn’t imagine that this would happen… but now he had to accept this as his new reality. 

Every few bits or so, he adjusted the straps on his wrists. _For emergencies only,_ he said to himself. _Hopefully I won’t need these… just stay out of trouble like May said. Yeah. Just run the other way._

_Okay, let’s focus on something else. Sanitation workers everywhere… That's an okayish sign, I think. Better than the anti quarantine guys that nearly ran May over though…_

The bike suddenly caught on a snowbank, knocking Peter onto the handlebars. The bike lock flew forward and hit a trash bag with a squelch. 

_Dammit Pete, focus on the road._ After dismounting the bike and leaning it against a sign, he picked up the lock and dusted it off.

_At least I’m close to the deli—_

A loud scream echoed across the street. 

_Mr. Delmar._

Peter sprinted the next block over. He took cover behind a wall. Taking a small peek, he found the source. Mr. Delmar was lying on the ground, clutching his leg, and a man was standing over him, gun drawn. 

“What the hell is your problem, cabrón?” Delmar writhed on the ground. “Robbing people blind during a pandemic?”

“Only to stockpile essentials, old man.” The gun clicked like a period. 

_WHAP!_

Peter clocked him in the face. “How ‘bout a knuckle sandwich for your stockpile?” 

_Jeez, that was rough. I really oughta work on those._

The thief landed with a sharp thud, the bike lock leaving a red rectangle on his cheek.

“Mr. Delmar,” Peter rushed over to the man on the ground. “You okay?”

“I’m fine _—_ Parker!”

The thief had gotten up and body tackled Peter, sending the both of them into the bodega window. The glass cracked like spiderwebs on impact. 

“You little _—_!” He grappled Peter against the wall. The man threw a punch, but the teenager slipped away and bolted down the street. The thief pivoted around and chased him down, leaving Delmar in the dust. Peter vaulted a mailbox and knocked over a trash can, his body moving faster than thought. But the thief still gained on him. 

_Think, Pete, come on._

He scanned his surroundings.

Subway stairs. _Train’s not running, he’ll corner me._

Door into a building. _Can’t. It’ll bring him into somebody’s house._

An alleyway gate. _Perfect. I’ll lose him going to the next street._

Peter vaulted the metal gate.

_Uh oh._

His foot got caught by surprise as the gate clicked and opened beneath him. The thug was now a few yards away. And worse, the alleway ended at a wall. 

“I can smell you, you little prick!” 

Peter had no choice. He fell off the gate and rolled face forward into the alleyway, getting up and scampering off as fast as he could, and he hid behind a wall. He took a breath and frantically scanned for an exit. He could hear the thief stomping and shaking off trash and snow after he swung the gate wide open. 

“Clever little guy, aren’t ya?” He casually turned over a bodybag, its crinkling echoing down the alley. “You know, Ripper’s always hiring couriers for things. You get to be up and about, helping the local community!” He smirked as his fingers curled around the wall. “C’mon, kid! Ain’t that what you want? You could be an essential member in our crew! I promise we got pretty great benefits…” 

He dashed around the corner with a “gotcha!” but was only greeted with nothing there. 

Nothing… except a sliver of barely visible thin white thread, hanging from the top of the fire escape. 

“What the hell…”

_CLANG._

Peter slammed the gate shut, and wrapped his bike lock around the bars of the gate and the anchor. Before the thief could even scream “No!” he had already locked it in place and snapped the key off with his bare hand. Just in time, Peter backed away before the bruiser tried to reach him through the fence, shaking it hard, angrily trying to escape. He stood there in shock, realizing what he had just done, and looked down at the snapped off key head. Peter briskly jogged away, too stunned to run, but not fast enough to escape the man’s screaming.

“I’ve seen your face, kid! I know who you are! You’re fuckin’ dead, you hear! You’re dead!”

It wasn’t until he got back to the deli that he felt safe enough to take a breath. 

Peter returned to a cracked window, signs and trash cans knocked over, and Mr. Delmar slumped up against the door. 

“Mr. Delmar!” 

Peter propped him up on his shoulder and carried him inside. Murph, the bodega cat, pawed up at Peter’s feet, prompting Delmar to reach down so they could climb on his shoulder. “Who’s a good little kitty, huh?” he said as he scratched behind their ears. “Thanks for keeping watch on the store while Mr. Parker saved my ass out there.” 

“It’s nothing, Mr. Delmar…” Peter propped him up on a stool.

“Nothing? That guy would’ve shot me, Pete. I owe you something.”

“Thank you Mr. Delmar, but I owe you something too. You keep people around here fed, including me and May. I can’t take anything from you or other people. We’re all in this together, you know?” He started picking out the groceries he needed for Aunt May, and grabbed a box of gauze from the healthcare section. “How’s your leg?”

“It’s alright,” he replied with a grunt as he relaxed his legs on the stool. “It’s been bad for a few years, anyway. Besides, where’d you learn to speak inspirational like that, huh?” Delmar asked with a chuckle. “You getting tutoring from Captain America or something?” 

“No sir,” Peter smiled back, “but thank you.” He set down money for the groceries and handed the box of gauze to Mr. Delmar. “I know you said your leg was fine, but you can never be too careful.” 

Delmar beamed wide. “You’re a good kid, Peter Parker. Stay safe.” 

* * *

Peter rounded the block, bags in hand, ready to go back home. 

_Finally, for once, everything can go exactly as…_

He found the sign he left the bike at… but no sign that it was still there.

_Oh, you have gotta be kidding me. Down a bike, down a lock. Typical Parker luck, huh?_

He leaned on the side of a car. 

_Aw, God, what the hell was I thinking back there? I’m down more than a hundred bucks for that one. May would pick up more shifts to pick it up and… that guy. He saw me. If he remembered my face, he’d know how to get to her. And his gang… whatever, I’ll burn that bridge when I get to it. How do I get back home?_

Peter sighed and then remembered. _Well, I have been wanting to give these webshooters a trial run… and since it worked so well last time…_ He took a quick look around to make sure no one would see, and then fired the web up to the rooftop corner.

“Well… hi ho silver.” 

Peter swung away, towards his new future. 


	2. Chapter 2

**AVENGERS TOWER, MANHATTAN. THIRTEEN DAYS AFTER QUARANTINE.**

“So. How’s this for a date night?”

“A date night? You’re seriously calling this a date night?”

“I’ve owed you one for the past, what, three weeks since Black Friday shopping? Life’s been, you know… hectic, I guess. But, I got you that necklace you were talking about, don’t think I forgot about that.”

“I was critiquing it. I said it seemed a little gaudy.”

“Well, it’s on your neck now, so at least you’ll have a story to tell to whoever sees it. And you’ll be able to mention what a great hero I was and everything, maybe drop a few tears on my eulogy…”

“Tony… let’s not think about that right now.”

“I’m sorry Pep, I just… yeah. To date night.”

They toasted their wine glasses through a glass wall, clunking against it with a deadened thud. They both took sips and started eating together. While Pepper tried to ignore it, Tony’s chewing and fidgeting with the spoons sounded so tinny and unnatural being played back through Bluetooth speakers, but she couldn’t think about that now. Tony was infected and contagious. It needed to be done. 

She wondered if Tony felt the same way. He seemed so nonchalant about the whole thing. It unnerved her more than when Tony was racing for the cure a week earlier. 

Thankfully, the clatter of shoes on tile saved her from the awkward silence.

“I see you’re enjoying your date night, Ms. Potts.” 

“Hello, Helen. Everything go smoothly?”

“Mhm.” She gestured to Tony. “The safe room has been disinfected and retrofitted to be hermetically sealed. Now you have no chance of infecting anyone else in the building.”

“Finally, some good news,” Tony replied through a mouthful of macaroni and cheese. “Good thing you were able to get all the stuff in here too,” He gestured with his fork to the boxes around the room. “God knows I’d go crazy without things to work on in here.”

“Hey, Helen, is there any way to get fresh food in there too?” Pepper set her fork and knife down on her plate. “I just… feel guilty eating salmon while Tony’s stuck in there with microwave meals.”

“Soon, Ms. Potts. We will be able to send in fresh meals to him once we figure out an airtight system for it. I’m sorry Mr. Stark, it was all I could do on such short notice.”

“No no, it’s fine, it’s a good change of pace. Besides, the Cradle’ll be able to feed me intravenously anyway, so I won’t have to worry about food at all.” Tony pushed away from the table and spun around in his office chair. “I’ll be able to live in here forever.”

“You’re not gonna live in here forever, Tony,” Pepper replied. “I’ll make sure of that.”

“Of course you will, Pep,” he managed a dorky smile. “I have complete and utter faith in you. We’ll get through this together.” 

“Alright Tony, I trust you.” She put her hand up to the glass, and Tony did the same. Both of them were trying to reassure each other, sending encouragement through their eyes and smiles. 

Their comfortable silence was broken by Happy running into the room. 

“Hey, Hill’s calling all of us downstairs for a debrief. We’re gonna have to go over the lockdown procedure for this building. Looks like we’re not gonna be getting any more support for a little while.” 

“Really?” Pepper shot straight up. “Does that mean Rhodey’s out of the count?” 

“Yes. Apparently, the Last Man Battalion has access to anti air missiles over on the east side. Rhodey, Sam, and the JTF can’t extract us out of here, so we’re gonna be stuck for a little while.” He called them over with a hand. “Come on, let’s go.”

Pepper turned back to Tony and shot him one last look, trying to convey everything with just an eye flicker. She could only hope that Tony understood everything: the reassurance, the faith, the feelings. 

“Go.” Tony responded simply. 

She gently nodded and walked away with Happy and Helen.

* * *

“FRIDAY, close blinds.”

The glass wall instantly darkened until the room was pitch black. Tony immediately gasped for air and coughed hard. He had been holding it in for hours; he could only hope that Pepper didn’t notice. For her sake.

But even in the dark, he knew. He could smell and feel the blood on his fingertips. 

Tony shuffled along, heaving with every breath. He remembered only weeks ago when he was discussing the discovery. Gathering scientists and doctors and engineers. Bringing in Helen, Selvig, and all the others… The virus had been in his system since the beginning, and he had been fighting it for every second. The fact that he was still alive was a miracle.

“Well,” he murmured when propping himself up on his worktable, “at least this means I’m guaranteed to die a good person.”

“Well done for staying on the positive side, boss.” Tony nearly jumped in surprise. “Can we run another test again?”  
“Yeah, don’t worry FRIDAY, I got it.” Tony produced a small device from his pocket, and stuck it in his mouth like a whistle. After a deep breath in and out, he coughed the device into his hand and plugged in into the computer, steadying himself with his hand on the table corner. He thought back to when he nearly died six years ago, and every battle since then. He always assumed that he’d die in battle defending those who he loved, something quick, exciting, and flashy; now he realized he was dying at a snail’s pace, unable to prevent anyone’s death, let alone his own. 

“Viral analysis complete.” 

Tony looked toward the screen, reading up on everything that he could. “What’ve you got for me, FRIDAY? Gimme the good and the bad.” 

“According to the genetic code present, this virus appears to be a combination of several infectious diseases: H1N1, swine flu ,ebola, dengue fever, marburg, and hantavirus, all assembled together using smallpox as a base. All evidence indicates that this virus was something that was manufactured, rather than evolved.” 

“A terrorist attack. Finally, something understandable. Any idea who could be behind this?”

“No clue, boss. But the person who achieved this would have to be a highly talented virologist. Normally this would be something impressive… aside from the current circumstances. I’ll begin corroborating all of the information we have to CERA.”

“Okay. What’s the good news?”

If FRIDAY could take a deep breath, she would have. 

“...The bad news is that the virus is rapidly mutating inside your own body. While that does not change the virus’s functions, it means that a vaccine is nearly impossible to synthesize without enough samples to compensate for genetic drift. It has permeated over 60% of your entire body, and your immune system is failing.” Tony’s head dropped, his eyes wide and staring at the floor. “I suggest that the Cradle be prepared for your entry immediately, and fully integrated into the Avengers Tower mainframe.” 

He sat there silently for what seemed like hours.

“I’m… I’m sorry, boss. There isn’t much that I can do.” 

Tony drummed his fingers on the keyboard, and let out a deep breath. “Good work, FRIDAY. Send this to Maria and Helen, they can pass on the intel to other people in their circles.”

“Should… should I send this to Ms. Potts as well?”

“Yes. She can coordinate with the Stark Relief Foundation on the ground, get them to where they need to be the most. Prioritize testing and gathering samples from as many infected as possible.” 

“Understood, boss. What about your personal diagnostics?”

Tony hesitated for a second. “Send them to Helen only, please. Tell her to come up alone, and privately.” 

“May I ask why, boss?”

“I don’t… I don’t want them to see me. Not like this.”

* * *

Helen swiped and tapped on the holoscreen, adjusting dials, typing in lines of code, reading graphs. While she had given many presentations before, this was her most tense one, and she steadied her composure before turning to the three that were waiting on every word.

“Mr. Stark... Tony, is in critical condition and has been indefinitely migrated to The Cradle.” Her eyes actively darted away from Pepper’s pleading stare. After clearing her throat, she continued, “His vitals are stable, but due to the virus’s proliferation and the extensive damage it has already done to his body, the Cradle will have to constantly function at all times: it will pump his blood, replace tissue, help him to breathe, and intravenously feed nutrients. Thankfully, he can live there indefinitely.”

Pepper choked back a tear and replied, “What can we do?”

Helen sighed a deep sigh. “We can’t do anything. Until a cure is developed for Smallpox Variola Chimera, he will have to stay in there until then. If it’s any consolation, Pepper… he will be conscious for none of it.”

Happy and Pepper looked away from everyone else, both of them unable to look at Tony lying peacefully inside. The only consolation that they had was that he seemed to be having the best sleep he’s had in years.

Maria stood up. “We may not be able to do anything for Tony, but he’s given us valuable intel on the virus, and we will act on it. Pepper, you’ll be the liaison between the Stark Relief Foundation and CERA, as I will be for SHIELD and the Joint Task Force. We have our circles, we might as well use them.” 

Pepper only replied with a slight nod.

“Happy, you and I will lock down this building and ensure that the arc reactor downstairs can provide power to the building and the surrounding area as well. While the Iron Legion is unable to fly at the moment, we still need them to be ground floor bodyguards. We’re lucky we managed to send everyone home before the virus hit. Do you still remember all of the security codes?”

Happy mumbled a sad affirmative. 

“Helen, you’re gonna continue your virus research, and we’ll make sure that this building is protected for you and Pepper. That means you’re going to use the Cradle to run tests on Mr. Stark.”

Pepper suddenly shot up. “Tests? What kind of tests?”

“Helen is going to run viral analysis on Tony, adjusting the Cradle’s specifics and reading out data-”

She stormed towards Maria.“This is ridiculous! I can’t just let you use him like some… some sort of lab rat.”

“Pepper,” Maria put a hand on her shoulder, “Tony requested this himself.” Pepper faltered at the words. “He said that if he died… he wanted it to be for good. Don’t worry, he knew the risks, and we’re all here for him.”

Pepper took a deep breath and composed herself. “Alright. Can… can I have one moment alone? With him?”

Maria, Helen, and Happy all nodded, each of them leaving the room like they left their reassurances at the door: a hopeful smile, a hand squeeze, a shoulder hug. Pepper turned back to look at Tony, lying unconscious in the cradle as laser and robotic arms scanned and cauterized and sutured under his skin. She placed her hand on the glass like she had done mere hours before, sending words of faith and encouragement through, knowing that Tony wouldn’t be able to hear or understand but sending them anyway. 

And with that, she choked out three words. 

“FRIDAY… close blinds.”


End file.
